How to use Suunto 3 Fitness adaptive training guidance

26 April 2018

TutorialTuesday

How to use Suunto 3 Fitness adaptive training guidance

26 April 2018

Exercising with Suunto 3 Fitness is easy. Based on your personal profile and recorded exercises, the watch creates a 7-day training plan with optimal duration and intensity for each exercise to maintain, improve or boost your aerobic fitness. Read on and learn how to use adaptive training guidance.

You won’t find many people willing to argue that physical activity is bad for you. That said, a healthy, sustainable approach means getting the dosage right. In terms of understanding whether your activity and lifestyle profile translate into real health benefits, VO2max is the perfect measure.

VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) is a widely recognized measure of aerobic endurance capacity. The value of VO2max is a reflection of total body health extends from the integrated functioning of multiple physiological systems. It reveals the heart, lungs, blood vessels, muscles, and nervous system all working together. To put it simply, VO2max shows how well your body can use oxygen. The higher your VO2max, the better you can use oxygen.

Suunto 3 Fitness uses your estimated VO2max as your fitness level and offers personalized training guidance in the form of adaptive training plans to maintain or improve it – depending on what you select as your fitness goal.

The planned exercises are easy to activate and follow, and once started, the watch guides you to stay at the right intensity and notifies when you have reached the target. Please note that the Adaptive training plan does not take into account illness or injury. The plan is powered by the Firstbeat analytics engine.

YOUR CURRENT FITNESS LEVEL IS THE STARTING POINT

To get started with the adaptive training guidance you will need an estimation of your current fitness level. To get your fitness level estimated, record a run or a walk that lasts at least 15 minutes while wearing your Suunto 3 Fitness with connected GPS or calibrated speed and distance.

Historical data, from recorded running and walking exercises, plays a role in ensuring the accuracy of your VO2max estimate. The more activities you record with your Suunto 3 Fitness, the more accurate your VO2max estimate becomes.

There are six fitness levels, from low to high: very poor, poor, fair, good, excellent and superior. The value is dependent of your age and gender.

SELECT YOUR FITNESS GOAL

Select an adaptive training program based on your fitness goal.

You can select from three different adaptive training programs based on your fitness goal: your Suunto 3 Fitness can help you maintain, improve or boost your aerobic fitness. The weekly training loads and workout intensities are different in the three training programs.

Select the “maintain” option if you are already fairly fit and want to maintain your current fitness level. This option can also be useful for people just getting started with regular exercise. Once you get going, you can always change the program you follow to a more demanding one.

The “improve” option is targeted at improving your aerobic fitness with a moderate progress curve. If you want to improve your fitness more quickly, choose the “boost” program. This will bring you harder workouts and faster results.

(Please note, if you don’t see these options on your Suunto 3 Fitness, you’ll need to update your watch to the latest software. Click here to learn how to update your watch.)

TRULY PERSONAL – AND ADAPTIVE – 7-DAY TRAINING PLAN

It's a training day today!

The exercise recommendations are based on your current fitness level, recorded exercise history and your profile (your age, gender, weight, etc.) and the program you have chosen to follow (maintain, improve or boost your fitness). Suunto 3 Fitness automatically adapts the training plan to your actual activities, so if you miss an exercise, or get excited and do a little more than planned, you don’t need to stress about the plan. The ability to integrate this information into your training program is a significant advantage over generic prescriptions and one-size-fits-all recommendations.

The training plan consists of planned exercises with a target duration and intensity. Each exercise is planned with the goal of helping you maintain or improve your fitness without over-stressing your body.

You can follow progress during your planned exercise.

When you start a planned exercise, your watch will guide you with visual and audio indicators to help you stay at the right intensity and keep track of your progress. The goal is estimated based on planned intensity and duration.

The heart rate zone settings affect the adaptive training plan. The upcoming activities in the training plan include intensity. If your HR zones are not set correctly, the intensity guidance during a planned exercise may not correlate to the real intensity of your exercise.

From the watch face scroll down to Training insight view. With the middle button you can see your plan for the current week. Press the lower right button to see additional.

A weekly plan will typically include 3–4 workouts of varying intensity and duration. Skip or add a session? Go harder one day and easier on another? The plan will automatically adjust so you always know that the next exercise on your horizon is the right one for your personal needs.

While the adaptive nature of the plans ensures your next effort will be the right one, there are also benefits to sticking with the program. Follow the program closely enough, and you will likely notice subtle tweaks from one week to the next that are designed to help take you to the next level.

Practically anyone can improve their fitness level through the recommended exercises. With that in mind, however, the fitter you are the harder you need to work to improve. If you are already very fit and exercise frequently, the 7-day plan may not suit your existing routine. The lower your fitness level at the start of your training program, the more likely you are to see rapid improvements, making it an excellent source of motivation for those looking to get into shape.